Emily Atack has married her scientist partner Alistair Garner in a legal ceremony that she described as “absolutely perfect”, complete with a McDonald’s van bearing a personalised wedding sign.
The Rivals star, 36, shared photographs from the couple’s legal ceremony on Instagram, adding that she “can’t believe we get to do all that again” at their upcoming wedding in Spain in September.
She posted images of the couple walking out of a church to friends and family celebrating them, as well as snaps of them laughing and sharing a kiss in front of a classic car.
Instagram announcement
The Inbetweeners star wrote in the caption: “Yesterday we officially got married among close family and friends. It was absolutely perfect.
“I can’t believe we get to do all that again in a few weeks time. Christ, we have fun don’t we @dralistairgarner.”
In her Instagram Stories, she shared pictures taken by guests, her London-based photographer George Gottlieb and her makeup artist, Lydia Barnes.
McDonald’s van and dress
One image showed Garner smiling during the ceremony, with the caption: “My husband [heart emoji]. More lovely pics coming through that I can’t wait to share later today of our legal ceremony over the weekend.”
She also revealed that they hired a McDonald’s van to serve McFlurries to guests, with a personalised sign reading “Mr and Mrs Garner”. Atack wrote in the caption: “We won’t be getting over this in a flurry.”
For the legal ceremony, Atack wore a long-sleeved gown with a plunging neckline and lace cuffs that matched her long lace veil. The dress was created by Avenue by Josephine Scott, which Atack found via Evelie bridal boutique.
Dress design and relationship
The brand said the gown, named the Juliette, was a “refined silhouette with statement sleeves and a striking keyhole back”.
“Working with Emily and Caroline [Black of Evelie] was incredibly special,” said the brand’s CEO, Josephine Parkhill. “Juliette already has such a distinctive silhouette and together we were able to make thoughtful changes that gave the gown a very personal feel for Emily.”
The couple have known each other since childhood but only began dating in 2022. They welcomed their son, Barney James Garner, in June 2024 and announced their engagement in July 2025.
Speaking to HELLO! magazine in 2024, shortly after the birth of her son, Atack described Garner as “such a special person” and said they “work so perfectly together”.
“It has all happened very quickly, but I've known him for such a long time that it didn't feel like a new relationship; I feel like we've been together for about 20 years,” she said.
“He's so intelligent. He’s a scientist and works on optimizing the corrosion performance of zirconium alloys nuclear reactor cores.”
“I thought I was always going to be that person who was unlucky in love, and I think once that narrative is painted, it's hard to break,” she added. “I'm a very confident person, but I've had very low self-esteem in the past, forming bad patterns and habits. And then I got to a point where I was just like, maybe that's never going to happen for me. And then it just did.”
